MOLINE, Ill. – The Drake University women's basketball team advanced to Sunday's 2019 Missouri Valley Conference championship game with a hard-fought 65-54 semifinal victory over Illinois State Saturday, March 16 afternoon at the TaxSlayer Center.
Drake (27-5) overcame a tough shooting day (36.0 percent) to advance to its third consecutive MVC title game where it will play the winner of No. 2 Missouri State vs. No. 3 UNI, who played immediately after the Bulldogs. Tipoff on Sunday is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
Becca Hittner (Urbandale, Iowa) led all scorers with 22 points on a 4-for-9 shooting performance from the field. Hittner knocked down 3-of-5 three-pointers, including two key ones in the fourth quarter, and equaled her career-high of 11 free throws on 12 attempts.
Sara Rhine (Eldon, Mo.) recorded her 12
th double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Maddy Dean (Jordan, Minn.) added eight points and six rebounds.
Sammie Bachrodt (Wichita, Kan.) scored eight points, handed out seven assists, pulled down five rebounds and nabbed three steals. Her first steal broke Kay Riek's all-time Drake record of 274, a mark that had stood since 1984. Bachrodt, the back-to-back MVC Defensive Player of the Year, is the new school leader with 277 steals. Among MVC all-time leaders, Bachrodt moved to 16
th all-time, passing Drake assistant coach and former UNI standout,
Allison Pohlman (Starr), who nabbed 274.
With the score tied 26-all out of halftime, Illinois State (19-12) made consecutive buckets to lead by four. Later the Redbirds took a six-point lead on a jumper by Lexi Wallen at the 3:40 mark of the third quarter. However, Drake answered with a 14-0 scoring run that began with a three-pointer by Dean and included a layup by
Hannah Fuller (West Des Moines, Iowa) after a Bachrodt's steal set up the sophomore for the basket and Hittner's free throw followed. The Redbirds quickly called timeout after Fuller's layup with Drake up 44-37. After the timeout, Illinois State made a three-pointer, but Bachrodt beat the clock to send Drake to the fourth with a seven-point lead of 47-40.
Drake answered every rally attempt by Illinois State in the final quarter, including twice when the Redbirds pulled within five. The Bulldogs' three-point shooting heated up in the fourth as Hittner made two, Bachrodt made one and
Nicole Miller (Walker, Iowa) knocked down her first. After starting the game just 3-of-12 from beyond the arc, Drake finished by making 7-of-13 and ended the game at 40 percent (10-of-25). Bachrodt and Dean each connected on two.
Drake started the game hot, leading by eight points, after Rhine made a pair of free throws with 2:53 in the first quarter. However, Illinois State (19-12) grabbed its first lead, 14-13, after Tete Maggett made a three-pointer with just over one minute to play. Hittner made a pair of free throws to get Drake the lead back at 15-14 going into the second quarter.
The Bulldogs' shots didn't fall in the second quarter as they went over seven minutes before Hittner made their first field goal of the quarter. The Redbirds took advantage as they led by six after Maggett, who scored a team-high 21 points, made another three-pointer with 3:20 to go before halftime. Drake trimmed the deficit to two with back-to-back baskets by Hittner and
Maddie Monahan (Silver Lake, Minn.), and later after Maggett made two free throws,
Brenni Rose (Shawnee, Kan.) scored Drake's final four points of the quarter, including the final three on a deep three-pointer that just beat the halftime buzzer and tied the game at 26-26.
